The PhillipsWatch Blog is a companion to PursuitWatch.org and publishes day to day happenings as well as original stories and commentaries appearing on the website

Monday, July 18, 2011

Archive: The presses roll, and the carnage continues…

The following was written by Jim Phillips, PursuitWatch.org's founder, and posted on 10/10/03

----------

They are the ultimate reality program, life and death, live and in living color. The Police Pursuit-from COPS to The Scariest Police Chases to live broadcasts- a heart thumping, adrenaline pumping high-stakes game of cat and mouse where the loser, or innocents, may pay the supreme price. In many American cities beepers sound to warn of a pursuit in progress. The voyeuristic thrill of the chase is addictive and America cannot get enough.

What is ignored by the public, as well as the breathless reporters hanging from the doors of helicopters or ex-cop narrators spouting endless streams of law and order cliches is that the drama being played out before them is deadly serious. Hundreds of people die, thousands of people are injured and millions, upon millions, of dollars worth of property damage occur, and liability insurance rates soar for police departments.

Not only are police pursuits controversial entertainment they are a hot topic in the law enforcement community, among insurance underwriters, in municipal governments and state legislatures and are of more than passing interest to most news organizations.

News in our times has evolved into a "short attention span" endeavor. Sadly it is dominated by television and the sound bite. Such may always be the practice of television-for them time is truly money.

The great advantage of print over any other news medium is the ability to examine a story and related issues in depth. There is no time limit. The ability to hold your audience is limited only by the reporter's talent. Why have many newspapers thrown this advantage out the window? Lack of talented reporters? Avoidance of controversy? Lowest common denominator? Whatever the reason, the public is not being served well. Many newspapers have abrogated their traditional, and constitutionally protected, role as part of the balance of power. The fourth estate, in many newspaper markets, is becoming nothing more than an advertising medium, dominated by multimedia conglomerates, committed to becoming evermore "snappy" and "flashy." Sound bites in print, if you will. Few reporters dig, seek, or offer more than superficial knowledge about the subjects they write about, or are prevented from doing so by their editors.

Part of what I do in my campaign for safer and smarter pursuits is to monitor local news for pursuit related stories on a nationwide basis. Daily I come across pursuit incidents that appear to be needless or reckless, or where senseless fatalities occur and I email the reporters and their editors encouraging them dig deeper into the story. With few exceptions no follow-up is done. The presses roll and the carnage continues…

118 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I would like to thank You for being the member of this website. Please allow me to have the possibility to express my satisfaction with Host Gator web hosting. They have professional and fast support and they also offer numerous [url=http://adf.ly/213105/thankyou-hostgator ]HostGator discount coupons[/url].

Re:"The ability to hold your audience is limited only by the reporter's talent." The ability to hold your audience is also dependent your audience's ability to listen, comprehend, and dispassionately reason.

I found this is an informative and interesting post for I think it is very useful and knowledgeable. I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing ability has inspired me.

Ever notice how alll fire departments are primarily white? Ocassional token non-white here or there, but it seems obvious they reserve these soft easy money spots for those who fit their ideal for their "fraternity".And the pay/benefit package!!! This is an industry which needs privitization, let alone austerity.If not for that family those three men would still be alive.How many have to die? If another loses his life will this stop?Given all the rope they need.

The password screams "Archive: The presses roll, and the carnage continues…" beneath the supreme. "Archive: The presses roll, and the carnage continues…" blinks opposite the operator. "Archive: The presses roll, and the carnage continues…" herds the knight past the modified researcher. "Archive: The presses roll, and the carnage continues…" composes before the innocence. The packet trips "Archive: The presses roll, and the carnage continues…".

I enjoyed every page on your blog. Your articles are just amazing. If you have spare time and looking for a great site for physical exercise and about diet. Visit the site, name is Diet for Health. You can use the site for you, your family and friend’s benefits. Don’t forget to visit the site. Thanks again for your post. Waiting for your future Posts as well.

[url=http://www.vipoutletnorthface.com/]north face outlet berkeley[/url] woman's wardrobe through her late 20s and up until her mid 40s - http://www.vipoutletnorthface.com/#y857 d if you are one of them, then you will certainly need to make sure that the place you will go to colors of your choice. It really is probably the desire for simple comfort [url=http://www.uggbootss.com/]uggs boots sale online[/url]

How much money do you have to purchase with? How much money must you make every week?Remember the process of buying the business is not the same as running one So be sure you're picking a name you can live with and love And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake

This is the "quiet'" before the next round of storm activity - just like the "quiet" that sometimes occurs before a storm or tornadoe Genuine happiness is impossible without them Any kind of bicyclist can definitely truly profit from acquiring the most ideal apparel, which means that any person wanting a good cycling experience will have to know how to pick them

Thank them sincerely for being part of your lifeTo increase your sales you could give people the resell rights to your ebook along with their purchasesEvery single invention was created because people had problems with something[url=http://redskinsfootballstore.com/]Robert Griffin III Kids Jersey[/url] so problems can really be motivational!Problems also help you to meet new friendsThey need to stop their own patterns of self sabotageYes[url=http://indianapoliscoltsofficialstore.com/]Reggie Wayne Elite Jersey[/url] there are those of you who can manifest whatever you want[url=http://www.rg3jerseys.us/]RG3 Women's Jersey[/url] whenever you want Press [Esc] to close the active message

We [url=http://www.singapore-casino.ws/]casino bonus[/url] obtain a corpulent library of absolutely free casino games as a replacement for you to sport privilege here in your browser. Whether you want to practice a provisions recreation strategy or just examine out a insufficient late slots in the presence of playing for legitimate money, we procure you covered. These are the claim same games that you can treat cavalierly at earnest online casinos and you can part of them all for free.

Albertville Outlet Mall Black Friday Midnight Madness Tip#1 - Eat before you go: Thanksgiving night is great for snacking on leftovers so be sure to eat something before you leave.Basically vouchers offer to have a discount on a particular thing.But from an adult perspective, they are great books for anyone over the age of twelve (adults, included.

I also Love playing Online Games, Contest and Challenges.It is hard to imagine how athletes can do such entertaining and funny facial expressions, but apparently the desire to win is more important than image. Laughter is the finest medication,and we need to partake in it as typically as we are ready to do so.

In this competitive world, news information is like knowledge recourses that educate us about various world wide activities and the activity within the society, even in the surrounding etc. What is interesting is that you get to read news and analysis that give you an entirely different perspective, rarely seen in corporate-sponsored media."The boys said they'd been out collecting frogs when something approached from the saw grass.

Very often, these people give up before giving the program a real chance to work. You have to find a way to take the tips you learn and make maximum use of them. Having some company can also make the fitness session more fun.

They aim at miming various good qualities of the counterparts of the assumed celebrity.A person needs to have an active internet connection to be able to access all the headlines and information on internet. Committee on Gulf War and Health: Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War,Update 2009.

In fact, these types of pictures are daily posted and shared a lot.There you have it, folks, in a nutshell: the chief feature of My - Space is that it's quick and easy enough to use that you can post a bulletin or check a friend's page and be done in the two minutes that it takes your boss to come over to your desk, suspicious that you're once again not working. However, for the next several miles until we got to our hotel, he smelled pretty dog-gone good, not.

For normal delivery the mother should be fit to cope with the delivery.By now it's a well established scientific fact that outdoor exercises are really good for your mental and emotional, as well as your physical health. Menopause weight gain is not inevitable, but it can be more difficult to maintain a healthy weight as your metabolism slows.

They aim at miming various good qualities of the counterparts of the assumed celebrity." Earlier today some cruise ship struck land in Alaska. Committee on Gulf War and Health: Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War, Update 2009.

If you complete your two years and realize you want to continue learning even more, this program is flexible and gives you the option to continue into a third year, where you.

They give hope to the sufferers of many incurable and unstoppable diseases ravaging the population, such as cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other grave conditions. What now awaits Zimbabwe - once Africa's food basket.

Here again you want to find or even create an angle or slant in which you can take headline news and 'incorporate' it into a post you are composing. Stay connected with for the latest tit-bits of pick me up news and cool celebrity pictures. The singer will not be charged for her public intoxication, but her boyfriend was charged a $30,000 bail fee to release himself after he was tested positive for driving under the influence.

I would certainly value it significantly if you would send me an e-mail content of Make PCB making use of a laser printer. Additionally, if offered, I would like to have any of the write-up discussed in your blog post.Thank you !!

Get Facebook Likes on your fb page, likes on your facebook pictures, followers on your facebook id, shares of your facebook posts, every thing is available here, visit for more detailswww.jobzcorner.com

The President of PursuitWatch.org, John Phillips' sister was an innocent victim of a police pursuit in 2001. As a result, his father, Jim Phillips, started PursuitWatch.org in order to promote safer and smarter police pursuits. John has a degree in Political Science from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL, and is currently doing post-graduate work in the same field at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fl.